This 99-year-old Mumbai Museum Has Started Virtual Tours

After an entire year, Mumbai’s heritage museum, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) reopened its doors on February 16 but had to shut down again owing to the second COVID-19 wave in India. But this time around, lovers of art and aesthetics will now be able to take a tour of the 99-year-old museum virtually through the comforts of their home. By Presha Mahajan

 

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Every Wednesday till May 30, the museum’s halls and its grand collections of paintings, sculptures and manuscripts across centuries will be exhibited and introduced online through a series of workshops, lectures, and art training sessions. Specifically catering to children aged three to 16, several workshops on tribal art, colour-making, biodiversity and endangered species, and storytelling sessions will be conducted on Thursdays and Saturdays. Additionally, as part of the virtual tours, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya’s (CSMVS) Tree Trail—featuring a variety of trees in the courtyard, including one of the only five African Baobab trees, and their bird gallery will also be exhibited for enthusiasts to enjoy.

 

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In an Instagram post, they wrote, “We especially want to thank our hard-working staff on campus for taking care of the museum and those working to keep our audience engaged digitally. We are all in this together.”

Previously called the Prince of Wales Museum, the museum was established in 1922. Currently, the capacious three-storeyed gallery with an east wing extension treasures and showcases about 50,000 relics and artefacts including Harappan excavations, 18th-Century Pahari and Rajasthani miniature paintings, artwork from regions of Nepal and Bhutan, sculptures from various ages, porcelain and ivory from China and Japan, European paintings, coins, weapons and armours, ancient jewellery, costumes and textiles, and the National History Gallery, which houses species like the striped hyena, the black francolin, and Indian chameleons.

Last year, CSMVS’ officials kickstarted an adoption drive for sponsors to adopt certain museum spaces or collections, enabling the continuation of the conservation work.

Take the virtual tour every Wednesday here.

Editor’s Note: Keeping the current situation of the pandemic in mind, T+L India recommends every reader to stay safe, and take all government-regulated precautions in case travel at this time is absolutely necessary. Please follow our stories on #IndiaFightsCorona for all the latest travel guidelines.

Related: Museums Around The World Offering Virtual Tours